Sportswear giant Nike has been going crazy celebrating Rafael Nadal’s recent grand slam win! Roger Federer who?
This week Nadal became the first male tennis player in history to have won 21 major titles. Breaking his longstanding tie with Federer and crowning him the king of the court!
Nike was quick to celebrate their ambassador – it immediately tweeted out, “Advantage Nadal.”
Advantage, Nadal.
Today, @rafaelnadal made history by becoming the first male tennis player ever to reach 21 Majors. Rafa has been on a relentless journey to clinch this historic 21st Slam. He now stands alone at the top as the GOAT in the men’s game. pic.twitter.com/0DsIVmvTFR
— Nike (@Nike) January 30, 2022
That tweet turned into a campaign and, “Advantage Nadal” was plastered across billboards worldwide from London to New York.
Call us cynical but here at B&T, we can’t help but think Nike’s bragging about Nadal’s success as a slight swipe at Roger Federer. To put it simply we all know a friend that is plastering their new relationship all over social media to show off to their ex.
Let’s not forget that It wasn’t that long ago that Federer had inked a multimillionaire dollar deal with the brand and was the golden boy. For a few years there Federer and Nike were synonymous and then it all ended.
In 2018, they parted aways – the rumours were that Federer asked for more money and Nike wouldn’t budge. According to Fox Sports, it was rumoured to be a $10 million dollar deal annually. Federer went on to sign a deal with Uniqlo and shoe brand On Running.
Nike then pounced on Nadal and the rest is sporting endorsement history.
But considering the rumours are Federer is earning a rumoured $300 million from his new sponsorships – perhaps it’s also – advantage Federer
